2021 Toyota Yaris Design HEV CVT 1.5L Hybrid electric (clean) · AP21 FVB

A clean, unbroken run of MOT passes defines the roadworthiness profile of this 2021 Toyota Yaris Hybrid, with three consecutive passes recorded across 2024, 2025, and most recently on 23 June 2026. No failures have been logged since the vehicle first became testable, and no component has yet escalated beyond advisory status. The only recurring entry is the front under-tray observation, which has been noted at both the 2025 and 2026 tests; while this is a persistent test-station comment rather than a defect, it is worth noting because the under-trays will continue to mask direct visual checks on the suspension arms, subframe, and brake lines at future tests. The single material advisory is the offside rear outer tyre flagged at the most recent test for slight cracking or perishing of the sidewall. Sidewall perishing is a rubber-ageing phenomenon that warrants replacement regardless of remaining tread depth, particularly on a hybrid vehicle where any unsprung-weight or grip loss is more noticeable. With 20,192 miles recorded over roughly five years, this Yaris is running at around 4,000 miles per year, which is well below the typical annual accumulation for a car of its age. The mileage progression across the recorded tests is steady rather than erratic, with no large jumps between consecutive MOTs that would suggest a sudden change in usage pattern or a possible mileage discrepancy. Low annual mileage of this nature tends to mean reduced wear on friction components such as brake discs and pads, lower fatigue cycles on the clutch and transmission internals, and less thermal stress on the hybrid battery. The trade-off, particularly relevant on a hybrid that may sit for weeks between short journeys, is the possibility of standing-start degradation on rubber seals, drive belts, and the 12-volt auxiliary battery, none of which are recorded in the MOT history but are typical considerations for low-use vehicles of any age. For a prospective buyer, the priorities during a physical inspection should be guided directly by what the MOT history has and has not flagged. Because the front under-trays have consistently obscured the lower components, a pre-purchase check should specifically request that they be removed for a proper inspection of the front suspension arms, drop links, anti-roll bar bushes, subframe mounting points, and exposed brake pipe runs along the chassis. With the offside rear tyre already showing sidewall perishing, the nearside rear and both front tyres should be examined for matching cracking patterns, and any tyres older than around five years from their DOT manufacture date should be viewed as candidates for replacement even if tread remains. On a test drive, listen for clonks or dull knocks from the front suspension over speed humps and uneven road surfaces, particularly from the strut top mounts, and pay attention to any steering vagueness, pulling to one side under braking, or vibration through the brake pedal that could indicate warped discs given the prolonged low-use profile. The hybrid drivetrain itself has no MOT-recorded defects, and Toyota's full hybrid system generally exhibits strong long-term durability. Nevertheless, because the vehicle has covered relatively few miles in five years, a buyer should listen carefully on startup for any unusual whining or rattling from the hybrid inverter area, confirm smooth transitions between electric and petrol modes during gentle acceleration, and check that the instrument cluster displays no warning lamps for the hybrid system or battery. On the move, the CVT should remain seamlessly linear in its delivery without surging, slipping, or droning at a fixed engine speed under load. A healthy 12-volt battery reading and confirmation of recent hybrid-system health-check records would round off what is, from the MOT evidence at least, a straightforward but lightly used vehicle whose advisories are minor and whose mechanical risk is concentrated more on age than on wear.